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The Big Fat Money Bomb

In response to the shameful Georgia advertising campaign targeting "childhood obesity" with photos of children.

Shame, blame, and guilt never motivate. And in some cases they destroy. 

If you agree, you’ll be interested in this effort spearheaded by Ragen Chastain of Dances with Fat.

To quote Ragen, “For the last 9 months, every single day, children in Atlanta have seen billboards, commercials, and signs at bus stops like [the ones pictured here].  If you are thinking ‘it’s not that big a deal,’ I want to tell you that, as a former bullied fat kid, I think it is a very big deal.  The messages couldn’t be clearer.  If you’re fat – you should be ashamed.  If you’re not fat – you should be terrified of becoming fat because fat people are diseased gluttons by choice and it’s ok to publicly shame them.”

Ragen has put together a campaign to raise money to sponsor billboards and print media campaigns that present the Health at Every Size® perspective, to “show kids of all sizes that they are valued and respected.”

The goal is to raise $10,000 TODAY and she’s already well on her way.  There’s a matching grant of $5000 available if they have 1,000 people sign on to the effort.  So if you can donate only $1, you’ll be helping in a big way to achieve that.

Click here to help the Support All Kids Billboard Project.

Jason Morris February 6, 2012 at 05:49 pm
I agree with a media campaign that sends that message, but i see more messages from the atlanta billboards than what's in this post:
- Parents are responsible for their childrens diets, how would you rate your performance america? or atlanta due to thier highest levels of child obesity in the country. - the once "joke" of the saying "i'm big boned", was just that - not serious. so, parents / friends / family / america - stop distracting from the truth by using that saying, and others. - everyone needs to pay attention to what they eat, the ingredients, and where they come from. this 'conscious' behavior needs to be exemplified by adults, and taught to children. it's been studied and proven that children of diabetic parents have a MUCH higher possibility of getting it also...due to eating habits and not being informed about the food they eat. and the underlying issue we can't seem to come together and correct is the deteriorating quality of the food in this world as a whole. this includes: GMOs, insecticides, growth hormones in cows, arcenics in chicken, GMO corn fed cows instead of grass, and the unbelieveable amount of filler corn products that are used in the majority of whats on the shelves in the grocery stores. the media has made us so self blaming that we forget who profits from cheap food. if we made conscious decisions to say no to these immoral excuses for food - there would be less need for such campaigns.
Jason Morris February 6, 2012 at 05:50 pm
I agree with a media campaign that sends the message from Health at Every Size, but i see more messages from the atlanta billboards than what's in this post:
- Parents are responsible for their childrens diets, how would you rate your performance america? or atlanta due to thier highest levels of child obesity in the country. - the once "joke" of the saying "i'm big boned", was just that - not serious. so, parents / friends / family / america - stop distracting from the truth by using that saying, and others. - everyone needs to pay attention to what they eat, the ingredients, and where they come from. this 'conscious' behavior needs to be exemplified by adults, and taught to children. it's been studied and proven that children of diabetic parents have a MUCH higher possibility of getting it also...due to eating habits and not being informed about the food they eat. and the underlying issue we can't seem to come together and correct is the deteriorating quality of the food in this world as a whole. this includes: GMOs, insecticides, growth hormones in cows, arcenics in chicken, GMO corn fed cows instead of grass, and the unbelieveable amount of filler corn products that are used in the majority of whats on the shelves in the grocery stores. the media has made us so self blaming that we forget who profits from cheap food. if we made conscious decisions to say no to these immoral excuses for food - there would be less need for such campaigns.
Jason Morris February 6, 2012 at 05:55 pm
ugh! i made the second comment to clarify my first sentance...wont let me delete the first 'version'.
Karen C.L. Anderson February 6, 2012 at 08:19 pm
I agree your points, but for me, this issue is about using children in ads...and that the focus needs to be on health not on size/appearance. The cause to which I linked in my post is putting the focus where it needs to be.
Doc Halliday February 7, 2012 at 12:17 pm
So lets put a bunch of DEAD FAT ADULTS and the statistics of FAT ADULTS dieing fro FAT. Matters not to me. FAT IS FAT and IS DEADLY. Fat kids become FAT adults. Look around you everyday and see the FAT PEOPLE. Yes PARENTS are responsible for keeping THEIR CHILDREN HEALTHY.

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Carol D. Fox June 18, 2013 at 02:07 pm
Does he live in the condo at the Harbor House? Does he rent it out? Is the house in Mansfield aRead More rental property? Does he think that just because he has a property in New London and may not truly reside in it, that he is a New London resident. I would be interested in hearing his spin on this.
Citizen Nate June 18, 2013 at 02:52 pm
Me too. Please keep us updated on the city's response.
Sue P. June 18, 2013 at 02:55 pm
You can fool some of the people some of the time but you can't fool all of the people when they haveRead More Kathleen Mitchell looking out for them. This is just sickening how with all the evidence that Kathleen has provided that Jeff Smith is not suspended as of today. The arrogance of this entire administration is beyond belief. I want to know what the Mayor has to say about this and I also would like to hear from Macrino, Hyslop and Passero.